Lucknow: Major punishment has been recommended against four policemen in connection with the killing of Deputy Superintendent of Police Zia-ul-Haq in Pratapgarh district last month.

"In his report submitted with the SP, ASP, who was conducting departmental inquiry has recommended major punishment against four policemen," IG (law and order) R K Vishwakarma told reporters here on Monday.

He said that policemen against whom major punishment has been recommended include SHO Kunda Sarvesh Krishna, SHO Hathgawan Manoj Kumar Shukla, senior sub-inspector Kunda and constable Imran.

Vishwakarma said that major punishment include dismissal from the service, adding that the ASP has also recommended minor punishment against four employees attached with SHO Hathgawan.

"These are the employees, who were supposed to accompany the SHO, but he did not took them with him," he said.

The IG said that show cause notices were also being issued to these employees.
Balipur village head Nanhe Yadav, his brother Suresh and DSP Zia-ul-Haq were killed on March 2 in Pratapgarh, triggering a public outrage after which the Samajwadi Party government handed probe to the CBI.

Later, Parveen, widow of DSP Zia-ul-Haq, had accused then UP minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh of being the key conspirator in the murder of her husband.

She had lodged an FIR against the minister, after which Raghuraj was forced to quit the Akhilesh Yadav government.